Buffalo Grove's Bill Brimm recalled as 'glue that held the village together'

The former village manager of Buffalo Grove, described by one colleague as being the "glue that held the village together," died unexpectedly on Tuesday.

Bill Brimm served the village for 32 years, including 28 years as finance director and the last four as village manager. He retired in 2010, but he continued to serve as the chairman of the Northwest Water Commission, which provides water to Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Palatine and Wheeling.

At the time of his passing, Brimm lived in Arlington Heights. He was 67.

"Buffalo Grove is in a great financial position and that's primarily because of Bill," said Jeff Braiman, former village president. "I turned to him about anything financial, whether it was about bond raising, budgets or how to handle costs.

"His advice was always well-taken by the entire board," Braiman added. "In fact, I don't ever remember any time when we went against his recommendation."

Another former village president of Buffalo Grove, Elliott Hartstein, credited Brimm with creating the solid financial footing needed to build a municipal fire department, the construction of a police headquarters on the village campus, the renovation of village hall and the building of the clubhouse at the Arboretum Golf Course.

In particular, Brimm helped draw up a compromise plan for the Arboretum clubhouse plan, which reduced the cost to $5 million from the original $7 million that the village initially rejected. When Brimm retired, village officials named the clubhouse in his honor.

Both Hartstein and his successor, Braiman, also credited Brimm with landing the village its coveted AAA bond rating, from both Standard & Poor's and Moody's.

"This is something that communities all around us strive for," Hartstein said in 2010, at the time that Brimm retired. "Other communities are facing cutbacks and layoffs. Buffalo Grove has been able to keep (its) fees and taxes under control.

"Buffalo Grove is in good stead," Hartstein added. "And we have Bill Brimm and his leadership and stewardship to thank."

Buffalo Grove Trustee Jeff Berman echoed the thoughts of his colleagues Wednesday in a Facebook post, where he described Brimm as a "kind, gentle, decent and generous soul."

"I am certain that the world is a darker place because it has lost such an extraordinary person," Berman wrote. "I respect that there is a great deal of emotion at the moment concerning the possible ramifications from other events that also occurred yesterday.

"I would urge perspective," Berman added. "Keep in mind what is real, and what is truly important."

A memorial service will take place at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Northwest Covenant Church, located at 300 N. Elmhurst Ave. in Mount Prospect.